In Tacna we were staying with Oscar’s family, whom we got to know in Angoteros, on our trip along Rio Napo.

Since it happened that his mom Nilce and me one evening were sitting alone in the kitchen, she asked me how do Augustas and I avoid pregnancy. Once I told her, she said, “I always prevented by the natural method.” I was interested how that works, and if it is a really save way of pregnancy prevention.

“I always followed an 8-day-period-schedule, which means that 8 days you are save and can enjoy sexual intercourse without any risk of becoming pregnant. The following 8 days you for sure will get pregnant.”

When do I start counting?

From the day your menstruation starts count 7 days, in which you cannot get pregnant. From day 8 it becomes critical. Though in general a safe day, the 8th day has it’s risks. From day 9 till 16 you are ready to get pregnant. In case you do not wish to have a baby a couple of months later, better protect yourself in other ways. Day 14 is the peak day, which kind of guarantees you pregnancy. Once you passed day 16, you are safe to enjoy sexual contact until your menstruation starts. From there on you count anew.

“Did you know that you also can predetermine your baby’s gender? Unfortunately, I did not know it before giving birth to three boys. I could count back and say for sure that I got always pregnant between day 13 and 16.”

The first four days counted from day 9 on will assure that if you have sexual intercourse you most likely will have a girl or conception does not take place. The days 13 till 16 will assure you to have a boy.

How can that be?

During the first days of readiness for receiving a sperm the egg is protected by thick slime. As male sperms get tired soon, they will not make it through. The following four days it is very likely that you will receive a boy, since the slime is easy to get through. Day 14 is THE DAY for getting pregnant with a boy. Easy counting, is not it?

The natural method has it’s exceptions of working well, though. If life is at times stressier than usual, the menstruation can come earlier or later than due. Especially for those people, who like us, change very often the place, climate, living circumstances etc. might have a more chaotic menstruation rhytm and should not in our opinion rely too much on the natural method if they want to avoid pregnancy. For those looking forward to a baby, happy experimenting!

Here is what our friend Angie commented:First, the natural method does work very well. The explanation this woman gave you isn’t complete, thought. There are a lot more issues to that natural method that need to be considered in order to make it reliable and it includes but i know women with kids that used it for years with great success!

On the other hand, the gender of the baby can’t be determinated the way she told you. No matter when the pregnancy ocurrs, i.e. which day of the cycle the gender of the kid is genetically determinated by the father. The sexual chromosomes of the mother are XX, so she gives the baby an X, no matter what. The sexual chromosomes of the father, on the other hand are XY, so he gives the baby either X or Y and that union: XX or XY is what determinates the gender. The only way to decide the baby’s gender is to sex the father chromosomes and pick the right spermatozoid.